Posted in: The Classic Paper Review The Current Paper Review - Vol II - The Bash 2009 + The Miz
By Mazza
Jun 30, 2009 - 1:27:40 PM
Vol II – The Bash 2009
Welcome one and all to the second edition of The Current Paper Review (yes, I am still going there), I am your host, Mazza. It has been a strange old week with celebrity deaths at the forefront of the news. Being a child of the 80’s I was very sad to hear about the death of the King of Pop, Michael Jackson. The controversy that he created throughout his life will always be a blemish on his legacy but the media would not have been nearly as interested as they were if it was not for his exceptional talent. The world had never seen anyone with as much singing talent, dancing talent and showmanship as MJ and probably never will again. My thoughts go out to his family and loved ones. That is enough of Mazza’s Twitter-esque posting, I have a wrestling show to review.
The Bash is no longer Great nor American apparently. A quick look at the card shows that the event is still predominantly American and by the time I get to the end, we shall know whether it was a good move to drop the ‘great’. I was happy to see that the tag team titles would be on the line here for the first time in ages and I was also looking forward to seeing whether Hunter and Orton’s break from each other could breathe a bit of life into their feud that was on life support.
ODE TO THE MENU
The Event: The Bash 2009
The Date: 28 June 2009
The Place: ARCO Arena, Sacramento, California
Before we get underway with the review, here is a quick reminder of DaveyBoy’s review key.
<50: Ask for a refund for not only your money, but also your time. [F] (Armageddon '04)
50-54: Mediocre & disappointing. [D] (EG: No Way Out '07)
55-59: Average. [C] (EG: Unforgiven ‘08)
60-64: Worth A Watch. [C+] (EG: Survivor Series ’08)
65-69: Good event that was worth the money. [B] (EG: Extreme Rules '09)
70-74: Very good. [B+] (EG: No Way Out '09)
75-79: Make sure you add this ppv to your video or dvd collection. [A] (EG: Royal Rumble '09)
80+: Make sure that the video or DVD is locked in a safe & cannot be erased. Memorable. [A+]
Tommy Dreamer defeated Jack Swagger, Christian, Mark Henry and Finlay in 14:50 in a Championship Scramble to retain the ECW Championship
The match starts out with Christian and Swagger as they lock up once more on PPV. They have a nice three minutes of action until Finlay comes down (the entrants arrived in three minute intervals as opposed to the five in the original scrambles). Finlay mixes up the action with his rough style but soon is on the receiving end of an eye poke and schoolboy role up and Swagger becomes intermediate champion. The doctor checks on Finlay’s eye and Christian gets a couple of close falls on Swagger before Dreamer enters the match. Dreamer dominates proceedings before Finlay finally returns from his consultation to hit a Celtic Cross on Swagger and become the man in the driving seat. The match gets a little clustered and Mark Henry joins the party as five minutes go up on the clock until the finish.
Henry wastes no time in clearing house and hitting the World’s Strongest Slam on Dreamer to take control of the title. The match goes to the outside and each man takes a turn to jump at their opponents from the ring. When Henry tries, he gets caught by Swagger who lands splash from the second rope to get his second fall of the match. It is not long until Dreamer hits a DDT on Christian to put himself in a great position to retain. With just over a minute remaining, the participants scramble (ah, I get it now) to get pin falls which are broken up but Dreamer hangs on as champion. This seemed a little more hectic than last year’s scrambles and it was less exciting. There was not even much of a close finish which could have helped a lot. I appreciate Dreamer getting his final moment but he really is in no shape to be carrying a brand with some exciting youngsters. CPR Rating: 6
Rey Mysterio defeated Chris Jericho in 15:30 in a Mask vs. Title Match to win the Intercontinental Championship
The latest and probably final chapter in this intriguing feud starts with Jericho trying to unmask Rey. Jericho takes the early advantage by throwing Mysterio into the crowd barrier and gets a good crowd reaction, even in Rey’s home State. Jericho works hard to get the heat back but the fans seem split down the middle as he keeps the pace of the match slow. Mysterio finally gets back involved and hits a seated senton from the top rope to floor but seems to catch Chris a little high and takes a rough landing. Rey seems to be okay and the high flying action takes over including a sweet looking double springboard (of one rope, onto another and then onto Jericho). This gets him a two count as does a moonsault before Jericho manages to lock in “The Walls”. Rey makes the ropes but is soon hit by a powerbomb from the top rope which brings a rope assisted two count for Jericho. We then see some nice counter wrestling which sees Rey springboard into a Codebreaker but somehow Rey kicks out at two once more.
A frustrated Jericho gets aggressive but gets hit with a 619. Rey goes for West Coast Pop but this is countered once more into the Walls of Jericho. Rey escapes and a series of countered pin attempts results in Jericho taking off Rey’s mask. Mysterio however is sporting a second one this time and hits a 619 and splash for victory. The early going was nothing special when it comes to in-ring work but it certainly picked up half way through. What Mysterio and particularly Jericho did do here was bring a level of storytelling to the match which seems to be becoming a rarity in today’s product. Another great match in what for me has been feud of the year so far. CPR Rating: 9
Dolph Ziggler defeated The Great Khali in 5:02 in a No-Disqualification No-Countout Match
I have no idea how this made it onto PPV but it is nice to see Ziggler get a chance to shine. The sheer size of the Punjabi Playboy gives him the immediate advantage but when he misses a chop and hits the ring-post, Ziggler goes on the offensive. Khali is soon back in the action but Ziggler uses his speed and a chair to take control. Khali’s power however sees him continuously get back into contention. Suddenly Kane appears at ringside and the distraction allows Ziggler to take out Khali’s leg with the chair. Kane enters the ring and decimates Khali with the chair and walks away allowing Dolph to get the pin. This was more of a set-up for Kane’s return than anything else. Ziggler took his opportunity well but the match was not much to look at. Having said that, with another Kane-Khali feud taking place, we should take comfort in the quality of wrestling on show here. CPR Rating: 5
Before the next match Vince confronts Teddy Long. Long had already felt the wrath of Edge and Jericho earlier in the night and McMahon once more questions Long’s role as GM and tells him he is still on probation.
Edge and Chris Jericho defeated Primo and Carlito Colon and Ted DiBiase and Cody Rhodes in 9:37 in a Triple Threat Tag Team Match to win the Unified Tag Team Championship
The Colons and Legacy are in the ring ready for their match when Long appears at ringside. He announces that the match will now be a triple threat match. Edge and then Jericho make their way to the stage and “Edgico” exchange smirks. The rules seem to be that two men will be in the ring at one time and they can tag in anyone. Carlito and Primo control DiBiase in the early going but it is not long until Jericho tags himself in and Rhodes then returns the favour immediately. Legacy and The Colons go at it and do their best to keep the impostors away from the action. Legacy control Primo like two little Ortons (yes, I mean with boring rest holds) and Edge finally tags himself in but like Jericho, is immediately tagged out again. The hot tag to Carlito finally comes and after the action breaks down, Edge makes a blind tag on Rhodes. Carlito hits the Backstabber on Cody but when the ref doesn’t count, he gets up and is met with a Spear and Edgico become unified tag team champions. I am not sure where this new tag team is going but with Jericho involved, it is sure to be an interesting ride. I feel a little sorry for The Colons and Legacy here. All four men have been really marginalised this year and I could not help but think they were stifled by Edge and Jericho’s presence. They did work most of the match but with the ring having to be cut-off, most of the action was Legacy rest holds. A boring match that could have highly exciting consequences. CPR Rating: 5
Michelle McCool defeated Melina in 6:34 to win the Women’s Championship
The action starts out very aggressive with a lot of screaming. McCool targets the champ’s knee early on and goes to work. By the time Melina can get in some meaningful offence, her knee is so bad that she can barely stand. Melina tries for her finisher but is countered and McCool hits the Faith Breaker to become the first woman to win both the Diva’s and Women’s Championships. Quite why you would have McCool carry the majority of the match is beyond me. Melina has probably been hurt more than any person in the draft and I really hope there is a heel turn in her future. Poor match, particularly considering the ladies on the Raw and SmackDown rosters who could put on a great show given the opportunity. CPR Rating: 3
Jeff Hardy defeated CM Punk by Disqualification in 14:55 in a match for the World Heavyweight Championship (Punk retains)
Punk gets a mixed reaction as he comes to the ring and Jeff gets his usual pop. They begin with a long feeling out process and we see both men utilise side headlocks. They both play to the crowd with Punk appearing a lot more proficient in his work. The action soon spills to the outside where Jeff crashes and burns attempting Poetry in Motion. Punk takes charge from here in a slow paced match as he utilises a figure-four headlock to wear Hardy down. Jeff then takes control following a Whisper in the Wind but the tide continues to turn back and forth. Jeff lands a Twist of Fate but misses the follow-up Swanton. Punk then goes for the Go to Sleep but Jeff counters and this time hits the Twist of Fate-Swanton combo. The ref counts to three and Jeff’s music plays before the ref reverses his decision as Punk’s foot was under the bottom rope. The match restarts and Hardy hurts Punk’s eye escaping a GTS attempt. As the ref checks on him, a seemingly blinded Punk kicks him in the back resulting in a disqualification. As Punk walks to the back, Jeff confronts him. He says that Punk knew what he was doing and attacks the champ. The quality of the match was far from stellar but once again, SmackDown’s storylines make for a very compelling time. This is the first time I have been interested in Punk since he arrived with the company. I look forward to seeing where the champ will go from here. CPR Rating: 7
John Cena defeated The Miz in 5:40
The crowd are definitely alive for this one as Cena controls the early goings. There are a fair amount of Miz fans in attendance and they hold their own against the Chain Gang. Cena no-sells a lot of the Miz’s early offence but Mizanin finally takes control by snapping Cena’s neck on the top rope. He gets a host of two counts with some good offence before the tide turns back in Cena’s favour. A 5-Knuckle Shuffle, Attitude Adjustment and STF later, Miz is tapping out. There was a nice dynamic for this match which was essentially a squash. Miz did have his couple of minutes of offence which he used well but in the end it was easy for Cena. The crowd were certainly buying The Miz and he should put it down as a successful night. It probably should have still been give 3-5 more minutes though. More on The Miz later on. CPR Rating: 6.5
Randy Orton defeated Triple H in 21:25 in a Three Stages of Hell Match to retain the WWE Championship
The big question here is can Orton and Hunter finally have a match that compliments their top billing feud. The first stage is a standard match and an aggressive Hunter has the early advantage. The Game goes for a quick Pedigree but Orton escapes by targeting his injured leg. Orton then works over the leg but misses an RKO attempt. Hunter gets thrown to the outside and when Orton goes out to meet him, he is met with a chair shot. The ref calls the disqualification and it is first blood to Legacy’s leader at 4:52. With the second stage being falls count anywhere, The Game continues to attack Orton with the chair. Hunter follows this up with a Pedigree at the ringside area to level it up at 6:18.
The final stage is a stretcher match and Triple H wastes no time in putting Orton on the stretcher. He almost has Orton past the line before Randall gets off the stretcher and rams it into Hunter’s knee. It is now well and truly a war as they fight back and forth in amongst the crowd and at ringside. Orton firmly takes control with an assist from the barricades and steel steps but Hunter regains the upper hand by sending Orton face first into the steps. Another steel step shot to the head sees Hunter once again try to finish the match. Whilst on the stretcher, Orton kicks at The Game and as Hunter fights back, they both roll down the entrance way on the stretcher resulting in a crash into the barriers. Orton takes control once more with a DDT from the stretcher on the entrance ramp. Orton then misses a punt before reversing a Pedigree attempt into a backdrop onto the stretcher. Randy goes for the finish but Hunter gets off the stretcher just before the line. Hunter then reverses an RKO and hits a Pedigree.
The Game looks to have the match finally won but as he goes to push the stretcher, Cody Rhodes comes out to stop him. Triple H takes care of Cody but as he goes back to Orton, it is DiBiase’s turn to interfere. With Orton down, Rhodes and DiBiase attempt to put Hunter on the stretcher. With the numbers game disadvantage, Hunter gets his hands on the ultimate equaliser, the sledgehammer. He takes out both members of the team formerly known as Priceless but Orton lands a kick to the Game’s stomach. He knocks him onto the stretcher with a piece of the stage and pushes it across the line to retain his title. As Randy celebrates, Triple H takes him out with the sledgehammer. Hunter and Orton finally got the dynamic right in this match. The battle looked like it could have gone either way for a long time and the finish was a good one. The brawling style of the match and the fact that they used the arena certainly helped. The feud still looks to be far from over right now and let us hope that the match quality can continue to improve. CPR Rating: 8
THE BASH CPR RATING (49.5/80) = 62
Overall, The Bash scored a C+ on the DaveyBoy Grade Scale which means it is worth a watch and I have to say that is about right. The quality of the matches was not always great but there was some nice storytelling going on and the summer is setting up nicely right now. Jericho and Mysterio were on form once more to take match of the night and although SmackDown’s star shone brighter again, there are a couple of signs that Raw maybe be starting to get their act together. Hunter and Orton put on a strong main event and Cena looks more than ready to step into the WWE title reckoning.
THE MIZ
There has been a lot of talk about The Miz recently in the LOPforums. A lot of the Internet Wrestling Community (IWC) have been very impressed with how Mike Mizanin has equipped himself since his move to Raw and feel that he is ready for the main event. Sometimes it has felt that I am facing an uphill battle to try and get people to calm the hell down. Whereas I do agree that Miz has handled himself well on the mic when it looked like he would have got lost in the pack on the red brand, it is madness to think that he will continue to rub shoulders with the likes of Cena, Hunter and Orton at this stage of his career.
The Miz does have heel potential and the fact that he was allowed to carry out a one-sided war of words with Cena, despite John being involved in a program with The Big Show, was a great opportunity for Mizanin. The WWE were obviously impressed enough by this to give him a one-on-one match at The Bash. Many predicted a Miz win but let’s not get ahead of ourselves. Simply having this match is a huge rub for any mid card talent but there is no way he is going to hurt Super Cena’s reputation that easily. John walked away with an easy win but The Miz may have left Sacramento with much more. He played his character well, looked more than comfortable in the ring at that level and most importantly, he garnered a strong reaction from the fans.
The future looks bright right now for Mike Mizanin but don’t get it twisted, this doesn’t mean he will be challenging for the WWE title come SummerSlam. I still think that people like MVP, John Morrison and maybe even Matt Hardy are still ahead of him in the pecking order. I can see him being rewarded for his work by being put into a program with Kofi Kingston over the US Championship. If he can pull off a solid reign with the prestigious title then who knows what the next step could be for The Miz. Maybe then, after a year or two proving his worth to the mid card, The Miz will be ready to take that big step to the main event.
THE ROAD TO NIGHT OF CHAMPIONS
The Bash in now very much behind us and the road to Night of Champions can begin. All the WWE titles should be on the line at the event and Mickie James versus Maryse has already been announced. As for the men on the red brand, Kofi Kingston has a whole host of men that could challenge for his title. The Miz, MVP, The Big Show and newcomers Mark Henry, Jack Swagger and Evan Bourne are all potential candidates. As far at the world title is concerned, Orton will defend against either Triple H or John Cena. With the loser of this match unlikely to fit in anywhere else on the NOC card, I would not be surprised if it ends up as a triple threat.
When it comes to the blue brand, quite a lot can happen. The forming of Edgico frees up the title scene somewhat. I expect that the Punk-Hardy feud will go another round here. As for Mysterio, Matt Hardy and Ziggler are potential candidates but I feel a face-face match with John Morrison would be the way to go. When it comes to the ladies, as long as McCool has the strap, I am not interested.
The new unified tag champs have assured their spot on the card by winning the belts. I have no idea right now who they could face. The Colons would make sense but they have already lost their rematch on Raw. Legacy and The Hart Dynasty would be decent opposition but the heel-heel dynamic is not well liked by Vince. Maybe we will see a big name return or debut to rub shoulders with Edge and Jericho. As for ECW, I look forward to a Christian-Benjamin feud in the near future and it would not be a shock for me if both these men, or even William Regal, will be challenging Dreamer for his title.
And that ladies and gentlemen is the second edition The Current Paper Review in the record books. Feedback, as always, will much appreciated, good, bad or indifferent and you can drop me an email here or pop by my feedback thread in the forums. The UK/US Tournament has now finished in the Columns Forum and you can read some of the tremendous columns from round 3 >>>HERE<<<. I shall be back soon with what will probably be a Classic Paper Review. If there is any old event you would like me to have a stab at, feel free to let me know. Catch you next time.
